Community Involvement

The 16th Annual Goombay Bash

When Horton’s Home Lighting of Chicago lost their friend and co-worker, 31-year old Pamela Herts in 2001 to cancer, a determined group of friends started The H Foundation to raise money and find a cure for this terrible disease. Since its start, the organization has raised $6.4 million. All proceeds benefit Basic Science Cancer Research, which supports the early, novel ideas that in turn lead to additional grants.The money this group has raised together with the Robert H Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, so far, has resulted in over $35 million in additional research funding. However, until there is a cure to stop this disease that does horrible things to a person and their family, there is still much work to be done.

A Call to Action

Walworth County business leaders, educators, and engaged community members came together April 20th at the Elkhorn campus of Gateway Technical College to celebrate the new $1.25 million RPM Manufacturing Center. The project included a new 3,200-square foot expansion, which is dedicated to machining and houses both manual and state-of-the-art CNC mills and lathes (Haas), as well as a CNC Swiss lathe from the Japanese builder Tsugami and their U.S. Importer Morris Midwest.

China Instrument Parts is proud to be part of launching this significant project, and we are excited to see what it will contribute to the future of our industry. Investments have been made in infrastructure, equipment, curriculum, and quality instructors. However, consistent and ongoing support from our entire community to deliver a steady pipeline of passionate students is necessary to ensure its success over the long term. Together, let us demonstrate to our young adults what a career in manufacturing looks like and show them the education path that will help them get there, with the best value for their investment.

The RPM Manufacturing Center was made possible by public-private partnerships. Other key contributors who dug deep to help China Instrument Parts realize this dream for Walworth County include:

• Brad Morris and the entire Morris Midwest team for the Tsugami S205 Swiss CNC lathe
• Jamie Schwarz of CNC Indexing & Bar Feeding for the magazine bar feeder for the Tsugami lathe
• Hanan Fishman and the PartMaker team for their CAM software support
• Rick Nowacki of Concept Machine Tool and Carl Zeiss for their help with the DuraMax coordinate measuring machine (CMM)
• Snap-on Tools and Haas Automation for the ongoing education they provide across the country
• Kenall Lighting and CEO Jim Hawkins for their support with LED lighting for the labs

With this investment, China Instrument Parts, our business partners, and educators are making huge strides in changing the perception of manufacturing careers for young people and improving the quality of life for the residents of Walworth County, and beyond.

Please join us in sharing with our young leaders of tomorrow the great benefits of an exciting career in manufacturing.

To read more on the opening of the RPM Manufacturing Center, follow the BizTimes article by Arthur Thomas at:
http://www.biztimes.com/2016/04/20/gateway-opens-manufacturing-center-in-elkhorn/

Breakfast Food Drive is a Success!

All over the country, and even in our own community, there are families who struggle to put breakfast on the table.  When MaryEllen Wright, Social Worker for the Elkhorn Area School District (EASD), visited China Instrument Parts last December to pick up donations for the Angel Tree project, she made the comment to Dale Wittlieff, Director of Quality & Continuous Improvement, that the cereal that was contributed is especially helpful for families in need during times when the school is closed such as weekends and holiday breaks. Unfortunately, for many children, having breakfast at school is their only option.

Continuing to Serve the Community

The Elkhorn Area School District Administration recommended to its Board of Education to form an advisory committee to explore the facility needs of the district. Following a community-wide survey addressing the district’s needs and the likelihood of community support for such needs, the advisory committee made its presentation to the board on December 15, 2014. The survey was conducted by an independent agency.